Best Mike Stopforth Podcasts (2025)

1
#069 Twelve principles of start-up growth and momentum — Professor Greg Fisher 44:15

2M ago44:15

44:15

My guest on this week’s show is Prof Greg Fisher. Greg is the Larry and Barbara Sharpf Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. He is also a visiting lecturer at the Gordon Institute of Business Science in South Africa and, more recently, the author of a fantastic book titled The Principles of Entreprene…

1
#042 Special Focus on Seasonality | Amy Martin 30:37

2M ago30:37

30:37

The Power of Rest: Embracing Cycles of Rest and Renewal. Episode 16 of a series of podcasts on taking conscious breaks from work. In this last episode of the sabbatical series, Petro du Pisani interviews Amy Martin about her research on rest, renewal, and life’s natural cycles. Amy shares how burnout led her to explore seasonality, and rhythms like…

1
#041 Special Focus on Burnout | Shannon Royden-Turner 34:04

2M ago34:04

34:04

Burnout: A Warning Sign, Not a Weakness. Episode 15 of a series of podcasts on taking conscious breaks from work. This is a special focus episode on Burnout. In this episode, Petro du Pisani speaks with burnout coach Shannon Royden-Turner about the causes, prevention, and recovery from burnout. Shannon explains that burnout isn’t just stress — it’s…

1
#040 Special Focus on Burnout | Laura-Jean Evens & Lurinda Maree 42:30

3M ago42:30

42:30

Burnout: Recognise, Recover and Rebalance. Episode 14 of s series of podcasts on taking conscious breaks from work. This is a special focus episode on Burnout. In this episode, Petro du Pisani speaks to fellow-coaches Laura-Jean Evens and Lurinda Maree. Laura-Jean, an executive coach with an industrial psychology background, and Lurinda, an industr…

1
#039 The Sabbatical Mindset | Omri van Zyl 37:04

3M ago37:04

37:04

Thriving Through Breaks: Balance & Success Episode 13 of a series of podcasts on taking conscious breaks from work. In this episode, Petro du Pisani speaks to Omri van Zyl (CEO of RussellStone Capital) about taking career breaks and sabbaticals for adventure and self-reflection. Omri discusses how these breaks helped him reset, gain new perspective…

1
#038 The Reinvention Pause | Mike Stopforth 31:04

3M ago31:04

31:04

Lessons from a longer-than-intended break. Episode 12 of a series of podcasts on taking conscious breaks from work. In this episode, Petro du Pisani interviews Mike Stopforth, a serial entrepreneur and seasoned marketing and communications professional, who took an extended break after selling his digital marketing business in 2018. Mike shares his…

1
#037 Pausing to Pivot | Pamela Naidoo-Ameglio 23:56

3M ago23:56

23:56

Burnout as a catalyst: Pamela's journey to a career pivot. Episode 11 of a series of podcasts on taking conscious breaks from work. In this episode, Petro du Pisani speaks to Pamela Naidoo-Amegio, an executive leader and geoscientist. Pamela shares her journey of taking a sabbatical in 2015 after nearly burning out. Pamela reflects on her reasons f…

1
#068 Digital transformation at scale — Dhesen Ramsamy (OML + SingularityU Part 3 of 3) 31:52

6M ago31:52

31:52

Old Mutual is the headline sponsor of this year’s edition of the SingularityU South Africa Summit. In this three-part series, I speak with some of OML's most interesting movers and shakers, understanding how they are moving the needle at the intersection of leadership, technology and impact. My guest on the final episode of the series is Dhesen Ram…

1
#067 From startup to SMEgo — Nobesuthu Ndlovu (OML + SingularityU Part 2 of 3) 31:35

6M ago31:35

31:35

Old Mutual is the headline sponsor of this year’s edition of the SingularityU South Africa Summit. In this three-part series, I speak with some of OML's most interesting movers and shakers, understanding how they are moving the needle at the intersection of leadership, technology and impact. My guest on part 2 of the series is Nobesuthu Ndlovu, the…

1
#036 Rest, Reset, and Recharge | Sas Wessels 33:32

6M ago33:32

33:32

Moving from a fear mindset to a world of opportunity. Episode 10 of a series of podcasts on taking conscious breaks from work. In this episode, Petro du Pisani speaks to Sas Wessels, a seasoned mechanical engineer and business improvement professional in the mining industry, about his recent sabbatical from corporate life. After years of facing num…

1
#066 Corporate-backed venture success stories (Kena and JOBJACK) — Vuyo Mpako (OML + SingularityU Part 1 of 3) 31:49

6M ago31:49

31:49

Old Mutual is the headline sponsor of this year’s edition of the SingularityU South Africa Summit. In this three-part series, I speak with some of OML's most interesting movers and shakers, understanding how they are moving the needle at the intersection of leadership, technology and impact. My guest on this first Vuyo is a growth-focused CEO with …

1
#035 The Re-ignition Pause | Briony Liber 37:10

6M ago37:10

37:10

First Love Yourself. Episode 9 of a series of podcasts on taking conscious breaks from work. In this episode, Petro du Pisani speaks to career and leadership coach Briony Liber about her sabbatical after 25 years in the corporate world. She took a sabbatical after experiencing burnout due to a lifetime of not managing boundaries, overworking, and p…

1
#034 The Transformative Break | Zaheera Soomar 55:37

6M ago55:37

55:37

From Doing to Being. Episode 8 of a series of podcasts on taking conscious breaks from work. In this episode, Petro du Pisani speaks with Dr Zaheera Soomar about her transformative sabbatical after 20 years in the corporate world. Zaheera shares her journey of overcoming self-doubt, regaining a sense of purpose, and finding balance through reflecti…

1
#033 The Self-Discovery Pause | Louise Rapley 53:59

7M ago53:59

53:59

A story of personal healing, self-discovery, and a bold new way of being. Episode 7 of a series of podcasts on taking conscious breaks from work. In this episode, freelance writer and editor Louise Rapley opens up about her transformative sabbatical. During this time, Louise transitioned from a textbook editor to writing her memoir, confronting her…

1
#032 The Thoughtful Time-Out | Gargi Mishra 30:13

7M ago30:13

30:13

From overwork to self-care and career pivots. Episode 6 of a series of podcasts on taking conscious breaks from work. In this episode, Petro du Pisani speaks to Dr Gargi Mishra about taking career breaks or sabbaticals. Gargi shares her experience of taking an intentional break during the COVID-19 pandemic when she realized she was overworking and …

1
#065 A bold strategy for a digital first telco — Nicola van Ast 36:33

8M ago36:33

36:33

My guest for this episode is Nicola van Ast, CMO at Melon Mobile, and co-founder of Growthink Group (where - full disclosure - she is my wonderful wife Anna's business partner). Nicola is one of the brains behind Melon's bold, cheeky and by all accounts extremely effective takeover of other trusted and loved SA brand's billboards - including Lyft, …

1
#031 Intentional Interludes | Thea Weeks 47:04

8M ago47:04

47:04

Pausing with Purpose: Giving back, Parenthood, and Resilience. Episode 5 of a series of podcasts on taking conscious breaks from work. In this episode, Petro du Pisani speaks to Thea Weeks who shares her transformative journey of taking three significant career breaks. In her breaks, Thea worked for an NGO for 5 years, focused on her new baby, and …

1
#030 The Healing Pause | Ntseiseng Lephole 37:50

8M ago37:50

37:50

Health First: The Power of taking a Career Break for Self-Care. Episode 4 of a series of podcasts on taking conscious breaks from work. In this episode, Petro du Pisani speaks to Ntseiseng Lephole about her experience of taking a career break to focus on health issues and to further her studies. Ntseiseng highlights the importance of self-care, ref…

1
#029 A Life-Changing Break | Hermien Uys 48:39

8M ago48:39

48:39

The transformative power of a sabbatical. Episode 3 of a series of podcasts on taking conscious breaks from work. In this episode, Petro du Pisani speaks to Hermien Uys, a corporate lawyer in the mining industry. Hermien took a sabbatical in 2017-2018. She discusses her motivations for taking the break which include a desire for travel and personal…

1
#028 The Realignment Pause | Lizette Spangenberg 33:35

9M ago33:35

33:35

Self-care, adventure, and realignment to purpose. Episode 2 of a series of podcasts on taking conscious breaks from the rat-race. In this episode, Dr. Lizette Spangenberg shares her experiences of taking two sabbaticals from work. The first sabbatical was for a month in 2017 to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and travel through Kenya and Tanzania. The seco…

1
#027 Purposeful Pauses | Fatima Collins 27:25

9M ago27:25

27:25

Rediscovering balance between meaningful work and personal fulfilment. Episode 1 of a series of podcasts on taking conscious breaks from the rat-race. Fatima Collins, Women in Mining Project Manager (Sibanye-Stillwater), shares her experiences of taking four different breaks throughout her career for different reasons, including travel, self-discov…

1
#064 Why creativity still counts and the problem with purpose — Dean Oelschig 48:53

1y ago48:53

48:53

My guest on this week’s show is Dean Oelschig. I met Dean on Twitter in the early days of social media, where we’d share notes on advertising, rugby, and just about any other topic both cared about, and which we inevitably argued about. We still argue about everything. Dean is a pure ad man and the founder of Halo Advertising. Halo has built an exc…

1
#026 Thoughts on Innovation in the Mining Industry | Elaine Hattingh & Sandiso Sibisi 41:10

1+ y ago41:10

41:10

Three innovators talk about their experiences in mining innovation. In this episode, host Petro du Pisani speaks to Elaine Hattingh (Exxaro Resources) and Sandiso Sibisi (COOi Studios) about innovation and technology in the mining industry. This conversation follows on from a panel discussion at the 2023 Mining Indaba in Cape Town which explored mo…

1
#063 Firing up the gig economy one person at a time — Aasiyah Adams 41:47

1+ y ago41:47

41:47

Aasiyah Adams is the inspirational founder of Abaguquli4IR and called herself the Gig Economy Driver. What does that mean? Well, few people are more passionate about equipping the unemployed, small and informal business owners and traders, and aspirant entrepreneurs with a platform to accelerate or incubate their businesses or ideas for business. S…

1
#062 Is customer loyalty a mirage? — Michael Renzon 52:31

1+ y ago52:31

52:31

Do you truly understand your customers? How seamlessly and effectively are you integrating customer feedback into your operations and strategy? Are you measuring success in CX? My guest on this week’s show is Michael Renzon. Mike is the CEO & co-Founder of inQuba which is a Customer Journey Management SaaS platform. Mike has built multiple successf…

1
#061 Tripping towards healing: A deep dive into psychedelic therapy — Brad Kallenbach 1:08:53

1+ y ago1:08:53

1:08:53

It's hard to know where to start on this one. Psychedelic-assisted therapy has been such a revolution in my personal health journey that it's really difficult for me not to sound like a zealot when discussing the topic. Could psychedelics be the revolution the mental health industry so desperately needs? Maybe. Are there dangers to be cautious of? …

1
#060 Unlocking the eSports goldmine — Barry Louzada 48:09

1+ y ago48:09

48:09

Do the names League of Legends, Counter-Strike, Dota, Fortnite, and Call of Duty mean anything to you? If not, you could be missing out on something massive. The global esports market was valued at $1.39 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach $3.96 billion in 2023. The global esports audience is expected to reach over 500 million in 2023. Esport…

1
#059 Could an app be the solution to mental healthcare? — Alon Lits 47:25

2y ago47:25

47:25

Today we are talking about mental health. If you follow me or if we follow each other online, you will have noticed that this is a topic that I care deeply about and have spoken about increasingly over the last couple of months and years, and it has been a feature of my entrepreneurial journey. It's been a feature of my life, really. But I've reali…

1
#058 The world according to Zarp — Simon Dingle 41:09

2+ y ago41:09

41:09

2022 was a significant year in the world of crypto, the collapse of FTX being a watershed moment. But what does this mean for Bitcoin and crypto in general? Has anything changed? Could it be that all the negative press and naysaying is actually good for decentralised finance? I ask Simon Dingle, arguably SA's leading expert on crypto, these questio…

1
#057 Putting the intelligence back in AI — Daniel Hulme 40:32

2+ y ago40:32

40:32

What do we really mean when we call things artificially intelligent? Is AI significant progress or a significant threat? And when does SkyNet some online? My guest is Daniel Hulme. Daniel was a guest lecturer on my Master's program back in 2019 and by some distance, the most impactful certainly for me. The reason is that he covered in his talk the …

1
#025 Unleashing my superpowers | Patience Mpofu 33:59

2+ y ago33:59

33:59

A lesson on how to navigate in a male-dominated mining work environment. In this episode, Petro du Pisani speaks to Dr. Patience Mpofu, who is a multi-award winner as one of the most influential women in Mining, and a former Vice President of an Australian listed company. She is a global mining sustainability thought leader (ESG) an IWF fellow alum…

1
#024 A study on Open Banking | Karen Nadasen 36:39

2+ y ago36:39

36:39

A learning journey conversation with a fellow EMBA student. I recently completed an Executive MBA through the University of Cape Town's Graduate School of Business. With classes moving on-line (in 2020 and 2021) due to the covid-19 pandemic there wasn't enough time (for me) to connect with fellow students and hear about their research projects. In …

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Mike Stopforth Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
The One-Eyed Man with Mike Stopforth

Solid Gold Podcasts #BeHeard

1
On Change with Petro du Pisani

Solid Gold Podcasts #BeHeard

1
#069 Twelve principles of start-up growth and momentum — Professor Greg Fisher 44:15

1
#042 Special Focus on Seasonality | Amy Martin 30:37

1
#041 Special Focus on Burnout | Shannon Royden-Turner 34:04

1
#040 Special Focus on Burnout | Laura-Jean Evens & Lurinda Maree 42:30

1
#039 The Sabbatical Mindset | Omri van Zyl 37:04

1
#038 The Reinvention Pause | Mike Stopforth 31:04

1
#037 Pausing to Pivot | Pamela Naidoo-Ameglio 23:56

1
#068 Digital transformation at scale — Dhesen Ramsamy (OML + SingularityU Part 3 of 3) 31:52

1
#067 From startup to SMEgo — Nobesuthu Ndlovu (OML + SingularityU Part 2 of 3) 31:35

1
#036 Rest, Reset, and Recharge | Sas Wessels 33:32

1
#066 Corporate-backed venture success stories (Kena and JOBJACK) — Vuyo Mpako (OML + SingularityU Part 1 of 3) 31:49

1
#035 The Re-ignition Pause | Briony Liber 37:10

1
#034 The Transformative Break | Zaheera Soomar 55:37

1
#033 The Self-Discovery Pause | Louise Rapley 53:59

1
#032 The Thoughtful Time-Out | Gargi Mishra 30:13

1
#065 A bold strategy for a digital first telco — Nicola van Ast 36:33

1
#031 Intentional Interludes | Thea Weeks 47:04

1
#030 The Healing Pause | Ntseiseng Lephole 37:50

1
#029 A Life-Changing Break | Hermien Uys 48:39

1
#028 The Realignment Pause | Lizette Spangenberg 33:35

1
#027 Purposeful Pauses | Fatima Collins 27:25

1
#064 Why creativity still counts and the problem with purpose — Dean Oelschig 48:53

1
#026 Thoughts on Innovation in the Mining Industry | Elaine Hattingh & Sandiso Sibisi 41:10

1
#063 Firing up the gig economy one person at a time — Aasiyah Adams 41:47

1
#062 Is customer loyalty a mirage? — Michael Renzon 52:31

1
#061 Tripping towards healing: A deep dive into psychedelic therapy — Brad Kallenbach 1:08:53

1
#060 Unlocking the eSports goldmine — Barry Louzada 48:09

1
#059 Could an app be the solution to mental healthcare? — Alon Lits 47:25

1
#058 The world according to Zarp — Simon Dingle 41:09

1
#057 Putting the intelligence back in AI — Daniel Hulme 40:32

1
#025 Unleashing my superpowers | Patience Mpofu 33:59

1
#024 A study on Open Banking | Karen Nadasen 36:39